Wedding Invitations: Things to Consider

The invitations can end up being the most time-consuming part of planning a wedding because it involves so many other things. You’ve got to have a guest list for the ceremony and reception, and know all of their addresses. That alone is a lot of work, so most brides over-look the other details that go into invitations. Here’s a list of things to think about when going through the invitations process.

Theme- Incorporate the style that you want your wedding to be into your invitation so that your guests know what to expect. This includes your colors as well as how formal everything is. You want your invitation to reflect your wedding theme.

Wording- Usually the ones hosting the event are the ones mentioned first on the invitation. Don’t make the mistake of offending anyone who is contributing financially to the wedding (usually parents) by leaving them out. Again, you can use the wording as an opportunity to show the formality of the event as well. (For example, there’s a difference between, “Join us for a rootin’ tootin’ time…” and “The honor of your presence is requested…”)

Timing- Typically, etiquette suggests to send out your save-the-dates 6 months prior to your wedding day. However, if you have a short engagement, you will not have the luxury of doing this. Save the dates are mostly important to warn out-of-town guests to start looking for tickets and making arrangements to come to your wedding. So, if you don’t have money in your budget to buy save the dates, or you don’t have enough time because of a short engagement, a good idea is to send electronic save-the-dates to the ones who will actually need it as soon as you get your date locked in. That way, you’re not spending money you don’t have, but you’re still providing the travelers with the information they need as soon as possible. Etiquette for invitations is typically 4-8 weeks before the wedding (again, depending on out-of-town or in town guests).

Cost- There are several things that will affect the cost of your invitations. Because costs vary depending on style and vendor, every bride’s invitation cost will be different. Sometimes you can get stationary cheaper if you buy it in a set with the thank you cards, programs, and escort cards. This can also make your event theme and colors more cohesive throughout because they will all look uniform. Sometimes the amount of pictures and style (tri-fold, added film paper, appliqués, etc.) will effect how much you will pay per invitation. The size you choose for your invitation will have an impact on the cost. The most commonly chosen shape is 4.5-inch-by-6.25-inch rectangular card. Anything larger than those dimensions, circular, square, or oblong may cost you more.

Dealing with Snail-mail- The tricky part about sending invitations in the mail is dealing with postage. Weigh your completed invitation before sending all of them out at once. Why you ask? The invitations you slaved over could end up getting sent back to you if you don’t provide sufficient amount of postage. Also, if you are expecting your guests to RSVP via mail, you need to include an addressed and stamped envelope in the invite for them to do so. Because many of your guests might live together, (entire families that you might be inviting) address the invites per household to save some dough. The Johnsons don’t need 5 invitations if they have 5 kids. However, you may want to send out an extra invitation if they have a child living separate from them.